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Regional Quilt Exhibit at Florida CraftArt
Fine craft quilts of a variety of techniques and styles are both inspirational and thought-provoking. The Artist’s Question…Answered in Fiber, is the theme for quilts created by members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), on exhibit at Florida CraftArt, in St. Petersburg. It is a traveling exhibit project of SAQA’s Florida Region, in cooperation with these Gulf regions: Louisiana/Arkansas, Mississippi/Alabama, and Texas, the exhibit features 29 artists.
The artists were asked to pose a question which would then be answered by the piece they created. Peg Green of Sarasota asks, “How can I share with you how I feel? Her quilt, Feeling Exuberant – Somersault, expresses joy, delight, vivacity, lightness of being, exuberance.” She says, “These are feelings in my heart that animate and guide me. I want to show them in my art. There’s no story or individual or scene that tells of this, it’s a whole life full of moments and thoughts, my emotional essence. Can you feel it too?” she asks.
St. Petersburg artist Angie Knowles, asks “How can humans be created the same, yet end
up so different from each other?” She says, “We all consist of the same materials - bones, skin, cartilage, muscle and have the same needs. Yet we are so different. Different habits, different wants and desires, different ways of loving. These differences, subtle as they may be, are noticeable even in identical twins. In the end, it is the threads of humanity that connects us.” Her quilt, The Same but Different, focuses on using the same materials, under the same conditions to create images that at first glance would appear to be the same. Upon closer inspection you notice the subtle and sometimes not so subtle differences. The images are no longer isolated on the fabric, but are connected with hand stitching.
Susan Lumsden, Brooksville, asks the question, “What if? To me that is the ultimate artist’s question.”
She says, “I‘m seeking a means to embrace abstract while showcasing my love of nature that I express through linocuts. I struggle to explore abstract imagery. I love raising awareness of the nature surrounding us. How can I combine both aspects without short-changing either? I also wonder, how can I? Every project has some technical question for me to learn and grow. On this one, I stretched to combine abstract with literal.“
Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt: “a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure.” Over the past 30 years, SAQA has grown into a dynamic and active community of artists, curators, collectors, and art professionals located around the world. Their vision is that the art quilt is universally respected as a fine art medium.
Florida CraftArt is located at 501 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.FloridaCraftArt.org or call (727) 821-7391. Florida CraftArt is a nonprofit organization founded in 1951 and headquartered in St. Petersburg. Its mission is to grow the statewide creative economy by engaging the community and advancing Florida’s fine craft artists and their work. Fine craft art is presented in its 2,500-square-foot retail gallery and curated exhibitions are featured in its adjacent exhibition gallery. Florida CraftArt is the only statewide organization offering artists a platform to show and sell their work.
The show runs through May 14, 2022, and is made possible by a sponsorship from Jeannine Hascall. Docent tours are available upon request.
Mark your calendar (Zoom link available on FloridaCraftArt.org). Wednesday, May, 6 p.m. Join SAQA artists as they talk about their work on Zoom.
CUTLINES (More images of work available on request.)
FCA-SAQA- Green, Peg.jpg
Peg Green, Sarasota, stands in front of her quilt, Feeling Exuberant – Somersault
FCA-SAQA Knowles, Angie
Angie Knowles, St. Petersburg, with her quilt’s answer to her to her question, The Same but Different.
FCA-SAQA-Lumsden, Susan
Brooksville artist, Susan Lumsden answers, “What if?” with her quilt, Anclote Answers: Estuarial Quandaries
FCA-SAQA Group
Artists attending opening of Studio Art Quilts Associates exhibit at Florida CraftArt (left to right) are Linda Geiger (Cocoa Beach), Becky Stack (St. Augustine), Beth Frisbie Wallace (Daytona), Peg Green (Sarasota), Diane Powers Harris (Ocala), Regina Dunn (DeLand), Sally Dutko (Fort Myers),
Susan Lumsden (Brooksville), Angie Knowles (St. Petersburg), and Kathleen Campau (The Villages).
FCA-SAQA panorama
The Artist’s Question… Answered in Fiber is on exhibit through May 14 at Florida CraftArt, in St. Petersburg
FCA-SAQA- Title Wall
Panoramic view of the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) exhibit at Florida CraftArt, St. Petersburg.
Katie Deits, CFRE
Executive Director
Florida CraftArt
501 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Office: (727) 821-7391 Cell: (561) 351-7904
Florida CraftArt is a statewide, nonprofit organization. Our mission is to grow the statewide creative economy by engaging the community and advancing Florida’s fine craft artists and their work.
